Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold: Teacher, Conservationist, Explorer
http://www.superiorbroadcast.org/Leopold.htm
January 11th, 1887- April 21st, 1948
"It is fortunate perhaps, that no matter how intently one studies the hundred little dramas of the woods and meadows,
one can never learn all the salient facts about any one of them" -Aldo Leopold
I. Introduction
Aldo Leopold was one of the major proponents of conservation in the 20th century. His keen observation skills, undying passion for the natural world and abundant travels that took him to the Southwestern United States, the midwest and even abroad to Europe helped him to formulate his unique, revolutionary but sensible ideas regarding conservation.
II. Biography
Early Life and Childhood:
Aldo Leopold was born in Burlington, Iowa on December 22nd 1887. His parents were Carl and Clara Leopold. He lived with his parents and his three siblings, brothers Carl Jr. and Frederic and sister Marie. Clara’s parents, Charles and Marie Starker lived close by the Leopold’s and the family dynamic was extremely important to Aldo Leopold’s childhood. As author Curt Meine writes “there was continual traffic between the Starker and Leopold back doors” (Meine 15). Aldo was a good student as a child and attended the Prospect Hill School where he was a “precocious student, interested in many things, and good at most everything” (Meine 16). During the Summer, Leopold spent significant time on Marquette island at the north side of lake Huron where his grandfather had obtained membership in the Les Cheneax Club in the 1890’s (Meine 22). Marquette Island was where Leopold first began to carve out his interest in natural world. While on the island “Aldo produced several intricately drawn maps of the island, carefully illustrated with its typical trees, animals and landmarks” (Meine 23). Leopold’s love for nature eventually led him to begin recording his observations in 1902 (Meine 26). His early interest was with birds. His keen observation skills were evident in his description of various birds. Meine writes “spying the birds trained his eye to concentrate on even the most fleeting phenomena, while identifying them forced him to hone his descriptive talents” (Meine 27). He also enjoyed the presence of the birds and just being a part of nature. According to Julianne Lutz Newton “By the time he was fifteen his interest in birds had gone beyond identification and description to the experience of deep aesthetic pleasure” (Newton 85). From his time spent at Marquette Island Leopold set the foundation for what would be his future career in Forestry.
The Lawrenceville School:
In 1904 Leopold headed east to the Lawrenceville Preparatory School in New Jersey where he would further his education. The decision for Leopold to head to Lawrenceville was Clara’s who believed that Aldo would get a better education on the east coast then in the Midwest. Leopold took advantage of the opportunity he was given. According to Meine “he was unfazed by a study schedule that included classes in English, English history, German, algebra, geometry, Bible study, Cicero, elocution and composition” (Meine 34-35). Leopold exhibited his natural intelligence in the classroom but his “true genius […] lay not inside the school, but in the fields around it” (Meine 35). Leopold’s love for nature and observation continued the moment he arrived at Lawrenceville. “Within a month he had acquainted himself with the area for ten miles around, drawn a map, and applied his own labels” (Meine 35). Leopold observed species in the area closely. According to Meine “Sometimes he launched into a complete ornithological account […] of the appearance, behavior, habitat and migration pattern of a species” (Meine 36). Leopold’s time at Lawrenceville spent observing was worthwhile and prepared him for the next step of his journey, which was entering the Forestry school at Yale. Meine writes that “Lawrenceville left an indelible mark on Leopold. It was there that he first applied his naturalist talents beyond his home territory […] he also developed his deeper interest in botany” (Meine 44). This increasing interest would prove useful at Yale where he would be forced to delve further into the subject of forestry.
Yale Undergraduate and Masters:
At age 18 Leopold entered Yale. Here Leopold’s “personal odyssey from amateur hunter and naturalist to trained professional forester” would take place (Meine 51). Leopold continued to be successful in his studies early on but his true passion remained with work outside the classroom. “He signed up for classes in German, French, and composition, mechanics, mineralogy, and physical geography” (Meine 63). His extracurricular activities consisted of the debate society, the forestry club and YMCA work (Meine 73). Due to the amount of time and effort Leopold put into his extra-curricular activities his grades began to slip midway through his college career. After struggling with grades for two semesters “Aldo worked himself off probation, performed well in exams, and received his bachelor’s degree and diploma” (Meine 75). After obtaining his degree Leopold continued his education by pursuing a masters degree at the Yale Forest School (Meine 75).
A master’s degree in Forestry was a new program at Yale as Gifford Pinchot donated money to open up the Yale school of Forestry in 1900 (Meine 76). While studying for his masters degree Leopold took courses in “lumbering, timber management, timber practice, forestry in the West, forest regions, [and] forest law” (Meine 79). He also spent sufficient time “compiling a chart to aid in the identification of trees” (Meine 79). Nearing the end of his masters program Leopold decided that after graduation he wanted to work for the United States Forest Service. When asked where he wanted to work Leopold chose Arizona and New Mexico (Meine 80). According to Newton, Leopold “received his Master of Forestry degree from the Yale Forest School in 1909” (Newton 21). Shortly after receiving his degree “the entire thirty-five member class of 1909 foresters was to […] move to Texas for a final field assignment and their civil service exams” (Meine 79). Leopold enjoyed his two months in Texas. Although the workload was strenuous he “began to explore the woods with old-time enjoyment and newfound enthusiasm” (Meine 82). After Texas he returned home for a month before heading to New Mexico to work for the United States Forest Service (USFA).
The Southwest Endeavors:
On July 1, 1909 Leopold headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he would begin working for the District 3 of the United States Forest Service. (Meine 88). He spent two years working in the Apache national park where he had his first hands on experiences with nature in a professional setting. Meine writes “The Apache would always be a special place in Leopold’s heart, the land where he took and mastered his first job, [and] where he fully learned what wild country was” (Meine 104). Leopold was soon promoted to deputy supervisor and his next assignment was working in the Carson national forest in Colorado (Newton 26). On his way to Colorado he met his future wife Maria Alvira Estella Bergere, known to Leopold simply as Estella. Estella came from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Her father was of Franco-Milanese descent and was born in Liverpool, England (Meine 110). Estella’s mother “belonged to a family embedded deep in the history and lore of the Southwest, Spanish, America, Mexico and Old Spain” (Meine 111). Aldo and Estella were married on the 12th of October 1912 in Santa Fe (Meine 121).
Aldo and Estella went on to have five children, Starker, Luna, Nina, Carl and Estella. Shortly after their marriage, and just before Starker’s birth, Leopold suffered from a case of acute nephritis (Bright’s Disease). He suffered with the illness for some time. Finally after “sixteen and a half months on medical leave” Leopold returned to work (Newton 44). When returned to the Forest Service Leopold spent a lot of time near the Grand Canyon where he was in charge of the district in the area. Here his responsibilities were to “Oversee […] new recreation efforts, […] to handle all information and publicity work, and to coordinate the nascent fish and game program” (Meine 145). Soon after Leopold returned to Albuquerque, he began to develop theories on game and hunting situations. He began to publish his monthly bulletin The Pine Cone whose purpose was “to promote the protection and enjoyment of wild things” (Meine 150). Leopold's focus began to shift towards conservation. He developed a fierce plan of conservation which included establishing game refuges in national forests (Meine 154). Leopold was not against the extermination of predators but advocated for the use of trapping and hunting to control the situation. “His main contribution was to generate cooperation between ranchers and sportsmen” (Meine 155). After joining the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce for a few years working as secretary where he “pushed the chamber to go beyond promoting local business interests and become ‘the common center-the clearing house…of all public spirited effort in Albuquerque’ Leopold headed back to the forest service (Newton 49). Soon after, Leopold was named Assistant Director Forester in Charge of Operations. Despite the promotion he was not welcomed back with open arms by everyone. Some believed that his avid work to protect game in the area conflicted with his work in the United States Forest Service.
Leopold truly blossomed into the man who wrote his most famous work while serving as Chief of Operations. According to Meine “his work as chief of operations had sharpened his thinking and his reasoning abilities. He had always displayed an innate sense of curiosity; now he was acquiring the methods and discipline to translate that curiosity into knowledge” (Meine 211). Leopold’s work in the Southwest was his first hands on experience dealing with nature in a professional manner. His work in the Southwest also led to some of his early thoughts dealing with game management and conservation. These subjects are just a few examples of many that Leopold would continue to ponder and improve upon for the remainder of his life.
Return to the Midwest:
In 1924 Leopold was asked to “assume the job of assistant director at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison [Wisconsin]” (Meine 225). The acceptance of this job meant Leopold and his family would have to move to the Midwest, away from where they had spent the last fifteen years of their lives. The choice of Leopold as assistant director seemed a bit odd as Leopold was much more comfortable in a field then a lab. Leopold’s responsibilities in the lab consisted of a variety of things. According to Newton “it’s mission was to contribute to forest conservation through better use and preservation of wood” (Newton 101). Leopold did not enjoy his job at the lab too much and actively searched for other options. He eventually decided that the best use of his time would be to enter into the conservation movement at full steam. His main focus centered on game management. Meine writes “there was no science of game management to speak of in the United States. Zoologists studied game and nongame wildlife but rarely with an eye towards conservation” (Meine 259). Leopold began giving lectures at the University of Wisconsin on game management. “In his lectures, Leopold laid out the concepts of game management as they had evolved in recent years: the underyling rationale of the new approach, the interplay of “factors of productivity” in determining game populations, the uncertain status of various species, [and] the utility of management techniques” (Meine 266). In 1931 Leopold published Report on a Game Survey of the North Central States. In this work he highlighted different aspects of game and habitat throughout the Midwest, focusing on both big and small game and also waterfowl. The report garnered wide acclaim from many prominent game and wildlife scholars around the country. In 1931 he received Outdoor Life magazine’s gold medal, “presented annually to two individuals […] in recognition for their service to conservation” (Meine 285).
During the great depression Leopold struggled to find consistent work so he spent most of his time working on his book entitled Game Management. Meine calls Game Management “the most extensive collection of information on wildlife conservation yet assembled, a masterful synthesis of management theory and techniques” (Meine 293). Leopold’s book was completed in 1932 and published later that year. It continued to have positive sales into the 1940’s as the growth of interest in conservation continued. In 1933 Leopold published his essay “The Conservation Ethic” in the Journal of Forestry. According to Meine it “was a landmark statement for many who were beginning to think more deeply about the philosophical aspects of resource issues” (Meine 305). The conservation ethic would be a theme Leopold would continue to actively work on for the remainder of his life.
Finally in 1933 Leopold was notified that he had a job. The University of Wisconsin created a game management program and Leopold was put in charge. “Leopold thus became the first instructor in the country to wear the title of Professor of Game Management” (Meine 307). According to Meine Leopold’s first responsibilities as a new professor consisted of “teaching a short course for young farmers, conducting a graduate seminar in management theory and technique, directing research at the new arboretum, overseeing graduate student progress, assisting in special projects throughout Wisconsin, and taking on assorted other extension work” (Meine 308). In March of 1934 Leopold offered a course on Game Management. According to Meine “it began as a half-semester orientation course for all levels of students, with heavy emphasis on field techniques and basic principles of game management” (Meine 324). In 1935 Leopold began to move the focus of his work away from game management towards “a renewed interest in nongame wildlife; emphasis on the biotic values of wilderness […] a concern for the stability of land “as an organism”; a recognition of the absolute necessity of coordination in conservation activities” (Meine 351). This shift in interest would lead to the publishing of his most famous essay "The Land Ethic". Leopold also received a letter inviting five other foresters and himself to spend time in Central Europe studying forestry methods for a few months. Leopold traveled to Germany. In Germany Leopold “observed the conservation successes of Germany’s more centralized system” (Newton 167). He also recognized that the German system included a lot of positive and negative aspects related to conservation that America should heed. He used this knowledge towards continuing to expand his views regarding conservation in the U.S.
The Sand County and Tragic Death:
Upon returning to the United States Leopold began to bring his family to the shack he had recently purchased near the Wisconsin River in Sauk County (Newton 180). The Leopold family worked to rebuild the shack and Aldo began an experiment by planting trees in the sand county, observing their growth while also taking time to band birds. By 1939 Leopold began to turn his attention towards developing a “biotic view” of nature. Meine writes that Leopold’s ‘biotic view’ was an attempt to view objectively the structure and function of land and to understand man’s role in altering it” (Meine 394). Again Leopold emphasized man’s interactions with the rest of the natural world. Another theme that Leopold focused on intently was Land Use. “If America is to stay she must have healthy land to live on, for and by” (Leopold 1942). Leopold also stressed the importance of individual decision making when it comes to conservation. “Education and individual responsibility in land-use decisions remained the keys to good husbandry, and good husbandry was ‘the heart of conservation” (Meine 431). All of these themes make up the foundation of "The Land Ethic".
As the years went by Leopold began to become more and more attached to the shack in the sand county. He began writing essays stemming from his observances and experiments there. While attending a Wildlife Conference in Chicago Leopold was approached by one of the editors of the MacMillan Company (Meine 459). “She expressed an interest in Leopold’s essays and asked him to forward some material. This collection of essays would make up the content of A Sand County Almanac, Leopold’s most famous work, first published in 1949. At the age of 61 Leopold continued to teach at the University and attend conferences but was struggling with the effects of a surgery to treat his sciatica which left him with “adventitious sensations” in his face (Meine 516). Leopold’s health would continue to plague him until the end of his life.
On April 21st 1948 after breakfast with his family in the shack Leopold noticed smoke coming from a neighbor’s farm. Soon after, a fire began to spread across the field. Despite the efforts of Leopold, his family and friends to quell the flames, they continued to spread. While members of the family went to get help, Aldo was left by himself and succumbed to a sudden heart attack while fighting the fire. His body was found slightly burned as the fire continued after his death. His death was completely unexpected and “caught him mid-stride” (Newton 350).
A Sand County Almanac was published in 1949, after Leopold’s death. The book includes essays written mostly about Leopold’s observations from the shack but also includes essays written from or about his travels to the Southwestern United States and various other locations.
III. Life and Work
A Sand County Almanac:
Published in 1949 a Sand County Almanac is a series of essays containing many of the thoughts and ideas of Aldo Leopold. Three essays that contain some of Leopold's most well-known thoughts and reflect his unique personality are "The Land Ethic", "Conservation Esthetic" and "Natural History".
The Land Ethic: Land and Human Interaction
"It is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value" (Leopold 261).
"No important change in ethics was ever accomplished without an internal change in our intellectual emphasis, loyalties, affections and convictions" (Leopold 246).
"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise" (Leopold 262).
Leopold's overarching theme presented in "The Land Ethic" is for humans to treat land with utmost respect and realize that every creature is part of the same system. Leopold begins the essay by defining ethic. "An ethic may be regarded as a mode of guidance for meeting ecological situations so new or intricate or involving such deferred reactions, that the path of social expediency is not discernible to the average individual" (Leopold 239). He then discusses the concept of community by saying that each individual is part of something larger then themselves. He makes sure to define this larger community that includes "soils, waters, plants and animals" (Leopold 239).
By presenting evidence that humans do not viewed themselves as members of a community but rather as "conquerors" Leopold argues that humans must change their ways. To prove that many humans to not care much about the health of the land Leopold highlights the fact that decisions regarding the environment are done mostly for economic reasons rather than ethical ones. "A system of conservation based solely on economic self-interest is hopelessly lopsided. It tends to ignore, and thus eventually to eliminate many elements in the land community that lack commercial value, but that are (as far as we know) essential to its healthy functioning" (Leopold 251). Because humans choose to do things for economic reasons rather then ethical ones they incur damage upon the land. To describe why this is so wrong Leopold presents the land pyramid. Here Leopold shows that every living creature obtains its energy from something below it on the food chain and since every creature can trace the food chain back to the land the land becomes essential for survival and must not be abused. Leopold then makes the claim that land "is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals" (Leopold 253). By describing land as a living being Leopold conveys how important it is that it is treated with the same level of respect as other living creatures such as human beings. According to J. Baird Callicott this concept of the biota and land pyramid "has been called Leopold's earliest comprehensive statement of the new ecological viewpoint" (Callicott 174).
Another important part of the essay is when Leopold presents his idea of "A-B Cleavage". In this theory he writes that one group of people "regards the land as soil, and its function as commodity production ; another group (B) regards the land as a biota, and its functions as something broader" (Leopold 259). With such a divide he argued that can be difficult to make positive changes to the land. He also describes how man has changed the land through "agricultural science" and how the less violent manmade changes are the longer land will last and how that violence largely depends upon population density. He also "pointed out trends in conservation that suggested that such 'violence' in fact could be reduced" (Callicott 174). Leopold also draws upon foreign countries and describes how different parts of the world deal with similar problems in the biota (Leopold 256). He describes how in Western Europe the inner processes (plants, soil) are resistant while larger animals higher up on the pyramid have disappeared. He also writes that "in parts of Mexico, South America, South Africa, and Australia a violent and accelerating wastage is in progress" but realizes that he "cannot assess the prospects" of what will happen to those places just yet (Leopold 256-257).
"The Land Ethic" is significant to understanding Leopold because it makes connections between several subjects that he spent a lot of time studying during his career. The biota and land pyramid, the impact of humans on the land and the nature of ethical versus economic decisions are all major ideas that Leopold worked with for much of his life. In addition "The Land Ethic" is significant because it connects his travels into his arguments. The mention of his time spent in Germany is evidence of this.
Conservation Esthetic: Recreation and Wilderness
"The thousandth tourist who clicks the gate to the National Park breathes approximately the same air, and experiences the same contrast with Monday-at the-office, as does the first" (Leopold 290).
"To those devoid of imagination, a blank place on a map is a useless waste; to others the most valuable part" (Leopold 294).
"Recreational development is a job not of building roads into lovely country, but of building receptivity into the still unlovely human mind" (Leopold 295).
First published in 1938 in Bird-Lore magazine the "Conservation Esthetic" is the concluding essay to A Sand County Almanac (Knight 21). The main theme Leopold discusses in this essay is recreation. He agrees that it is good for human beings to "get back to nature", to hunt and to fish but wonders how exactly humans obtain pleasure from these actions. "Wherein lies the goodness, and what can be done to encourage its pursuit?" (Leopold 280). Leopold discusses how human mechanization has extended to nearly all ends of the globe and how it is nearly impossible to escape some sort of human influence. He then asks "who now is the recreationist?" and gives examples of areas that are considered recreational that clearly have been impacted by human society. Leopold discusses how humans view places of recreation as less natural when other humans have influenced it in some way and therefore of less use to them and questions why this is. Leopold then asserts that humans are fighting each other for the same, small amount of uncultivated land to fulfill their need of recreation.
Another main theme of this essay is how recreation has become a conflict of interest among humans as some believe that humans should get a bigger piece of the pie while others believe they should stay away. An example of this is when Leopold writes that "the Wilderness Society seeks to exclude roads from the hinterlands, and the Chamber of Commerce to extend them, both in the name of recreation" (Leopold 283). Leopold then goes on to define wilderness as "roadless, with roads built only to their edges" (Leopold 289). He then provides a description of how a large number of humans want to use "new land" for their own benefit. He gives the example of humans first creating nature trails which lead to larger trails and eventually roads. Leopold accepts the fact that this is human nature. Because this is true he argues that we should stop deliberately working to keep humans off the land and work to create spaces in which humans do not disrupt with their recreational needs. "In short, the very scarcity of wild places, reacting with the mores of advertising and promotion, tends to defeat any deliberate effort to prevent their growing still more scarce" (Leopold 289). This is the foundation of Conservation. In the last few pages of "The Conservation Esthetic" Leopold discusses the conflicts of recreation. What are acceptable ways to be recreational? An example he keeps coming back to is trophy hunting. Leopold argues that people choose to be trophy hunters because their recreational experience is based on material rewards rather than feeling one with nature. He strongly criticizes this idea. Newton presents Leopold's idea on this subject by saying that "far better than trophy collecting was the ability to perceive nature, ecologically, aesthetically and ethically" (Newton 287).
"The Conservation Esthetic" is significant to understanding Aldo Leopold's character because it presents some of Leopold's most prominent ideas regarding recreation and conservation. Leopold's ideas regarding human beings inability to escape human influence lead into his fundamental ideas of conserving land for human purposes such as recreation. They also lead into his idea of "The Land Ethic" where humans should have a right to all land but treat it in an ethical manner. Leopold's ideas regarding recreation are also significant because it proves that when Leopold hunted or fished he did it to be one with nature, not to earn something from "conquering" it.
Natural History: Attention to Detail and Education
"I talk here about the pleasure to be had in wild things, about natural-history studies as a combination sport and science" (Leopold 203).
"Does the educated citizen know he is only a cog in an ecological mechanism?" (Leopold 210).
"We shall never achieve harmony with land, any more than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve, but to strive" (Leopold 210).
The main theme of "Natural History" is praising those who observe details and work hard to achieve what they want to research. Leopold first mentions how much joy he receives from wild things. He then argues that love of wild things is not uncommon. He gives two examples of amateurs who devote a large amount of their time to observing and recording information on aspects of nature that they are passionate about. He discusses a man who has spent significant time learning about the history of the passenger pigeon. Even though the pigeon was extinct before the man was born he has conducted major research on the subject "by reading every newspaper ever printed in our state, as well as contemporary diaries, letters and books" (Leopold 204). Leopold praises the man for his hard work and desire to learn. "Here, then, is a man who has found adventure, exploration, science and sports, all in the back yard of current history where millions of lesser men find only boredom" (Leopold 204). Leopold also describes a woman who began trapping sparrows in her garden, marking each one and recording "their migrations, feedings, fightings, singings, matings, nestings and deaths" (Leopld 205). Leopold said that "in ten years she knew more about sparrow society, sparrow politics, sparrow economics and sparrow psychology than anyone had ever learned about any bird" (Leopold 205). He praised both of their efforts because they did not pursue their experiments for any other reason than personal satisfaction. In the final part of the essay Leopold goes on to praise field work over laboratory work by asking a series of questions that one could figure out if they were working hands on a project hands on in the field rather than in a lab. Field work according to Leopold "came to be regarded as the superior form of science" (Leopold 207).
Overall "Natural History" connects to a few important parts of Leopold's life. Leopold was an extremely observant person, took copious notes and believed that through persistence and hard work great things could be accomplished. Leopold was also a strong proponent of field work and believed that through close observances and hands on experiences nature could be understood to a greater extent than it could within the walls of a lab.
Journals and Observations:
This is a link to various diaries and journals Aldo Leopold kept while in Arizona, New Mexico and Wisconsin. These diaries are written on subjects such as hunting and conservation and give a reader an immediate and firsthand glimpse into Leopold's life.
IV. Leopold Today:
Although he has been dead for over 60 years Aldo Leopold is still remembered as one of the most prominent conservationists of the 20th century. According to Anthony Wolff "Leopold's gentle manifesto, mediates the schism between science and humanism that has been diagnosed as symptomatic of our century" (Wolff 5). His memory has lived on not only through his literature that remains widely read but also through three foundations that have been created in his memory. These foundations are listed and described below.
Aldo Leopold Nature Center:
The Aldo Leopold nature center was opened up in Monona, Wisconsin in 1994. (The Aldo Leopold Nature Center). The center's mission statement is to "teach the student to see the land, understand what he sees, and enjoy what he understands." In the spirit of famed Wisconsin conservationist, Aldo Leopold (The Aldo Leopold...). The Aldo Leopold Nature Center is an "independent not-for-profit charitable organization. It operates year-round, is governed by a volunteer board of directors and managed by professional staff. The Center is solely supported by charitable contributions and program fees" (The Aldo Leopold...).
Here is a link to the Nature Center's Website:
Aldo Leopold Foundation:
"The Aldo Leopold Foundation works to weave a land ethic into the fabric of our society; to advance the understanding, stewardship and restoration of land health; and to cultivate leadership for conservation" (The Aldo Leopold Foundation). The headquarters of the foundation is found "less than a mile from the Leopold shack and farm" (The Aldo Leopold Foundation). The Foundation was established in 1982 "as a not-for-profit conservation organization" (The Aldo Leopold Foundation). The center was built in 2007.
Here is a link to the Foundation's Website:
Sand County Foundation:
According to the Sand County Foundation website "Founded in 1965, Sand County Foundation has expanded from caretaker of the 120 acre Leopold Memorial Reserve to advising the managers of hundreds of thousands of acres of land in several countries. The Foundation works with private landholders to improve the quality of their lands through science, ethics, and incentives" (Sand County Foundation) The foundation also states that it was created with one of Leopold's most famous ideas in mind. "The roots of Sand County Foundation are private action inspired by the Leopold Land Ethic, using responsible voluntary means to improve habitat" (Sand County Foundation).
Here is a link to Sand County Foundation's Website:
V. Media:
This video gives a nice overview of some of Leopold's most prominent ideas. It includes an interview with Leopold's youngest daughter Estella who reflects upon her father's life.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/nwl/2006/2006-1-leoletter/leopold.htm
Aldo Leopold sitting in front of his shack in the sand counties of Wisconsin.
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/WisIdea/WisIdea.htm
Leopold directing a class as a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ht/37.1/frese.html
Leopold sitting with his family outside the shack. From the back (left to right) it's Aldo, wife Estella and sons Luna and Starker. In the front are daughters Nina, Estella and the family dog Flick.
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/wiacrev/wiacrev-idx?type=HTML&rgn=DIV1&byte=383394&q1=&q2=&q3=
Leopold sitting with his bow and arrow in Chihuahua, Mexico.
VII. Works Cited:
The Aldo Leopold Foundation. 7 May. 2009 <http://www.aldoleopold.org/>.
The Aldo Leopold Nature Center. 7 May 2009 <http://www.naturenet.com/alnc/index.html>.
You Tube: Aldo Leopold Nature Center - Foxfires & Fireflies. 8 May 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RiKzl9r134>.
Callicott J. Baird, ed.Companion To a Sand County Almanac: Interpretive and Critical Essays Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1987.
Knight, Richard L. and Suzanne Riedel, eds. Aldo Leopold and the Ecological Conscience. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Leopold, Aldo. “Diaries and Journals. Aldo Leopold Papers. 25 Mar. 2009. <http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-
idx?c=wiarchives;view=reslist;subview=standard;didno=uw-lib-leopoldpapers;focusrgn=C01;cc=wiarchives;byte=284718540>.
Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac With Essays From Round River. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966.
Meine, Curt. Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1988.
Newton, Julianne Lutz. Aldo Leopold’s Odyssey. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2006.
Sand County Foundation. 11 May 2009 <http://sandcounty.net/foundation/>.
Wolff, Anthony, ed. The Sand County of Aldo Leopold. San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1973.